Pirates show no fear of playing big games on the road

Friday

Triple overtime, in front of a hostile road crowd, on the opponent’s home field, with so many opportunities having already passed to both win and lose the game in the same moment.

That’s the position the Cooper football team found itself in late last Friday night in Andrews, having matched the Mustangs punch for punch for 48 minutes and then some. But when Nolan Savage broke the plane of the goal line for a 5-yard touchdown, it not only gave Cooper a 34-28 lead and allowed the Pirates to advance to the regional finals, it gave them a lot more.

“Before Andrews we’d talked about how well we play on the road an how we come out on the road and get on a bus and travel well,” head coach John Windham said. “When we lost the home-and-home flip it didn’t faze our kids that much. They were like ‘who cares, we play good on the road.’ It was a challenge but it was a fun environment to get into.”

And by surviving that environment, neutral sites should be a piece of cake for the Pirates (9-3), who advance to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 1970 and for the first time as a Class 3A school. They’ll put that road-warrior mentality to the test tonight when they take on No. 9 Alvarado (11-1) at 7:30 p.m. at Wichita Falls’ Memorial Stadium.

“We definitely have confidence on our side,” senior running back Tae Richerson said. “This whole team knows how important the next game is and we can look at that price, that goal, and where winning that game gives us a chance to go. It’s really driven the team to practice well all this week.”

It’s a position none of the coaches or players have been in before — playing after Thanksgiving. It’s also the first time since 2004’s area-round loss to Sweetwater that the Pirates have made it past the second round of the playoffs, so the significance is not lost on them.

“We’ve gotten that monkey off our back and lightened the load, and it’s refreshing to get to do that,” Windham said. “The guys’ confidence is high right now. We’ve been telling them all year they can do some special things and they can do it together. They are focused.”

It’s been a combination of skill, luck and fitting the right pieces in the right places.

The luck comes from what the Pirates were unable to avoid last year — injuries. Windham said at the beginning of the year if the 2009 team had remained healthy instead of suffering so many season-ending and long-term injuries, they could have done what they’re doing now last year. In fact, the only season-ending injury the Pirates have suffered was to starting running back D.J. Ware during the preseason.

One other significant injury actually allowed Cooper to get better. Senior quarterback John Keane’s concussion early in the non-district schedule allowed junior Nolan Savage to emerge as a major rushing threat, and Cooper’s two-pronged attack under center has been a huge problem for teams to defend.

Take Friday night for example. Andrews did a good job early in the game bottling up Savage, but Keane came in and got the offense going in the passing game, and that later opened up rushing lanes for Savage.

The skill comes from the plethora of weapons, including Keane, Savage, Richerson, receiver Brett Salas and fullback Shannon Grady, the driving forces of the offense. Combined those five accounted for all but 49 of the Pirates’ 2,195 rushing yards and 30 touchdowns during the regular season, while Keane and Savage combined for 1,071 of the team’s 1,444 passing yards, and Salas and Richerson combined for 530 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Putting the right pieces in the right places happened on Friday, when senior defensive tackle Sergio Vega went to the coaches at halftime and suggested switching to the nose to try and neutralize Andrews’ running game. It eventually worked as Andrews quarterback Kyler Gilbreath, who finished with 213 rushing yards, had just 2 during the final 5:42 of regulation and overtime after Cooper tied the game at 21.

“After we lost to Estacado we felt we were a good team and could face a good offense,” Vega said. “The defensive front, in the trenches, is where you win the wars.”

That’s where Cooper will have to win it this week against a power running team in Alvarado. The Indians aren’t flashy, averaging 321 yards per game while giving up 328, but have a solid running game behind running backs Wayne Onderdonck (709 yards, 6 TDs) and Zach Ripley (1,249 yards, 17 TDs). Kenny West is a solid passer, having thrown for 1,387 yards and 16 touchdowns to just five interceptions.

“The last few weeks we’ve faced a lot of spread teams so I feel good about facing a team that runs right at us,” said Windham, whose team gave up just 171.9 rushing yards per game entering the playoffs. “We’re going to turn them loose defensively and we expect to play a physical game instead of the last few weeks where we’ve been back on our heels.”

Because, at this point, it’s nothing the Pirates haven’t already been through.

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CLASS 3A DIVISION IREGIONAL SEMIFINALCooper vs. Alvarado

7:30 p.m. Friday, Memorial Stadium

Wichita Falls

Radio: KRFE 580 AM (Lubbock)

Records: Cooper 9-3, Alvarado 11-1

Coopervs.Snyder

beat Andrews 34-28 3OTLast weekbeat Abilene Wylie 35-21

340.3Total offense321.1

306.6Total defense328.8

36.1Points scored31.1

21.9Points allowed18.8

QB Nolan SavagePlayer to watchRB Zach Ripley

(1,296 rushing yards, 19 TDs)(1,249 rushing yards, 17 TDs)

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